Many of the concepts from the Five Word Song and other Hwa Yu
writings require quite a bit of contemplation before we truly grasp
their meaning. (On that note)Mr. Li used to always say breathe like a
bellows; from the bottom of the abdomen to the heart.  What does this
statement mean to you.

Wonderful news! Congratulations on the World T'ai Chi Day activities next year
and on the
new Hwa Yu instructors. Hope you have a great week!

Mark

--- In hwayutaichi@yahoogroups.com, "Glenn Newth" <hwayu121@...> wrote:
>
> Greetings and happy new year to to all,
>
> I would like to let everyone know what is in the works for the coming
> year.  The principals and students of the Central Connecticut Hwa Yu
> Federation will sponsor an open Hwa Yu Festival on World Tai Chi Day,
> which is April 25, 2009.  The event is free to all those interested
> in attending.  Demonstrations will begin promptly at 10:00am followed
> by classes offering instruction on all levels of Hwa Yu.  There will
> also be refreshments available.
>
> The event will be held at Northwest Park in Windsor CT, which is
> located conviently near Bradley International Airport which serves
> the Hartford/Springfield area.  Anyone wishing to attend can contact
> Glenn Newth by email at hwayu121@... If you are coming in from
> out of State we are prepared to help you with hotel reservations and
> ground transpertation for the event.  If you wish to demonstrate
> please inform me on what you would like to show and the aproximate
> amount of time you will require.  We will do our best to accomidate
> everyone.
>
> On another note; the following Connecticut students have ben promoted
> to instructor level.
>
> Dinese Ackeifi-Sr instructor
> Beverly Brylowe-instructor
> Curt Eaton-instructor
>

Greetings and happy new year to to all,

I would like to let everyone know what is in the works for the coming
year.  The principals and students of the Central Connecticut Hwa Yu
Federation will sponsor an open Hwa Yu Festival on World Tai Chi Day,
which is April 25, 2009.  The event is free to all those interested
in attending.  Demonstrations will begin promptly at 10:00am followed
by classes offering instruction on all levels of Hwa Yu.  There will
also be refreshments available.

The event will be held at Northwest Park in Windsor CT, which is
located conviently near Bradley International Airport which serves
the Hartford/Springfield area.  Anyone wishing to attend can contact
Glenn Newth by email at hwayu121@.... If you are coming in from
out of State we are prepared to help you with hotel reservations and
ground transpertation for the event.  If you wish to demonstrate
please inform me on what you would like to show and the aproximate
amount of time you will require.  We will do our best to accomidate
everyone.

On another note; the following Connecticut students have ben promoted
to instructor level.

Dinese Ackeifi-Sr instructor
Beverly Brylowe-instructor
Curt Eaton-instructor

Did Master Xavier ever complete filming the entire long form Or is it
still the first half?

Rick: Erik came to see me last year after he attended the LHBF congress
in China. He stayed a few days during which we exchanged views on how
to practise LHBF. Master Li was my guru's LHBF brother and we used to
practise today in the 60s and 70s before he settled in the USA.

I have two CDs on Master Li doing LHBF and I'll see if my student in
the Philippines can arrange to send you copies.

Peter O
Hong Kong

Dear Hwa Yu Friends

Last year I discovered a clip of Master Li doing the first few
movements of Part 1 of the Hwa Yu form. It's on YouTube. After more
web surfing I discovered the predecessor of this group which was then
moderated by Erik Mathiesen. Erik is a Tai Chi teacher in Copenhagen.
Erik told me that he had dvd copies of the entire film and he
graciously offered to send me one. Needless to say, the
expectation of viewing this film was exciting for our small community
of Hwa Yu students in Montpelier, Vermont taught by Ellie Hayes, a
student and one-time teaching assistant of Master Li.  Ellie had seen
the film many years ago and was very excited to have access to a
copy.

Unfortunately the video never arrived and I seemed to have lost
contact with Erik.  I have emailed him at the following address
several times without a reply. (erikabelcat@...)  I'm guessing
that he forgot about the request and by the time I checked in with
him he had changed his email address.

If anyone in the group can help, it would be greatly appreciated.  We
have a group of about 6 senior students (just completed Part 2) who
are motivated to continue, refine, and enjoy our practice. We would
be glad to pay for a copy of the dvd.

Yours

Rick DeAngelis
Montpelier, Vermont

--- In hwayutaichi@yahoogroups.com, "santino112" <pirate112@...> wrote:
>
> Will Master Xavier complete his work on the 15 animal dvds?
>

Greetings! Finishing the 15 Animals Video Series is something we would like to
do, but I don't
have any news on that yet. We'll see what opportunities we have in the new year.

Thanks for your interest!

Mark

--- In hwayutaichi@yahoogroups.com, "santino112" <pirate112@...> wrote:
>
> Will Master Xavier complete his work on the 15 animal dvds?
>
    Unfortunately only Master Xavier or perhapps Mr. Mcgee can answer
the question of wether or not the other animal forms will one day get
put on tape.  It would certainly be nice to have them.

    On another note; as it is getting colder up here in New England at
this time of year, I begin to alter my training focus.  (I practice
whenever my work schedule leaves me time).  In the spring and summer
when the weather is warm I go outside as much as possible and practice
my forms.  In the winter when it is too cold and snowy to spend a lot
of time outdoors I begin to concentrate on my standing, rowing, and
circle palm exercises more,  because these are easily done indoors. One
of my favorite training sessions is to hike 4 or 5 miles over rugged
turraine then practice hwa Yu for a couple of hours.

    I am also wondering if Master Olaes will be able to post further
information on the Wan Yuen system?

Will Master Xavier complete his work on the 15 animal dvds?

The last part of the name of our art, San Pan Shi Er Shi,(The full
name for Hwa Yu is Hwa Yu Hsing-I Liu Ho Ba Fa San Pan Shi Er Shi)deals
with the mind and intent in combination.  The mind forms an idea and
then directs the spirit to lead the body through the movement. As Mark
said, relaxation is the key.  As you practice your forms try to
completely relax both your body and your mind, and let your spirit and
will lead your movements from your tan-tien or core. This adds a qality
to your movement that is both enjoyable and peaceful yet powerful.

      When you are able to let go of the physical strength in your
movements, you will truly be able to realize the bueaty of this art.
One of the things Mr. Li said to me that has always stuck in my mind
is.  "You can never do the exercise too softly."  Moving the body with
the mind spirit combination will bring you to a new level of
relaxation, and the goal of our art "the natural state."

Greetings! I hope everyone had a wonderful summer. We're entering the Fall
season and
that means many wonderful new opportunities to share our experiences with Hwa Yu
T'ai
Chi.

I am continually reminded about the importance of the mind during practice. The
first five
verses of the Chinese Five Word Song are about the mind:

1. Empty the mind.
2. If one thinks there is a method, that thought is in vain.
3. By making the mind void of thoughts, one can gain a natural meditative state.
4. With a calm mind, one is free from hesitation.
5. A quiet mind opens the pathway to harmony within and without.

The first combination (harmony) is the body combining with the mind. The second
combination is the mind combining with the idea.

Our first classes emphasize the importance of the body and mind combination: how
to
relax the mind and body (relax being the primary word). A relaxed mind leads to
a relaxed
body which leads to great speed and accuracy for self-defense and improved
health for
the body. A calm mind leads to the natural state. As Master Li wrote: "In the
natural state
you can enjoy your inside and outside movements. There are no interruptions and
there
are no questions to your soft, peaceful movements."

I look forward to hearing from you this Fall as we focus on the importance of
the mind and
body combination.

Mark McGee
Hwa Yu T'ai Chi

I am a Liu He Ba Fa practitioner/instructor that lives in Central
Pennsylvania, approximately a half hour outside of the Harrisburg
metro area.

Personally I have practiced the animal forms in several different
methods. I practice them in a Xing yi fashion that allows for
compressing the muscle and bone and works a bit on strength training.
I also practice them in a tai chi fashion for relaxation and the
yielding aspect of tai chi, and if you have any Baguazhang
experience, you can try using the animal forms in a circle walking
fashion that is truly incredible to experience and will open you up
to so many possibilties whether it be for self defense, health,
balance, flexibility, et al. Now in my humble opinion Liu He ba fa's,
also called water boxing, main concept is to eventually be able to
flow like water. With the rising and falling as well as the ebb and
flow. I have used this with the animals with great personal results.

Hope this helps a bit, but remember, it is only my two cents.

All the best,

Ian
www.celestialimmortal.com

--- In hwayutaichi@yahoogroups.com, "santino112" <pirate112@...>
wrote:
>
> I practice them in like a hsing-i fashion.  Separating each
technique
> in the form and creating a walking form where I do each technique
in a
> linear fashion, also cover both left and right hands.
>
> I also practice the animal forms that I do know in like a 4
directions
> method, where no matter what direction Im facing, when I finish a
set I
> proceed in the opposite direction.  Covering north, south, east and
> west.  That way I cover all directions and go through each form 4
> times. try videotaichi.com
>
>
> --- In hwayutaichi@yahoogroups.com, "dasisdad" <dasisdad@> wrote:
> >
> > What are some different ways to practice the animals forms? I
have
> been
> > learning the forms from video because there is no one near me
that
> > teaches Hwa Yu. Also, if anyone knows any other videos that can
be
> used
> > to learn this amazing art form, I would appreciate it.
> >
> > Stephen
> >
>

Master Li often said that the power of Hwa Yu was in its root. He emphasized
practicing all aspects of the art with standing, rowing and walking, along with
the Form. Master Xavier said Master Li also emphasized the pushing hands and
self-defense techniques from every position in the Animal and Long Forms.

That's how I break down the animals: standing, rowing, walking, pushing hands,
and self-
defense techniques along with doing the complete Form. I also practice the
animals in
different combinations (Dragon and Tiger, Dragon and Crane, Tiger and Pang,
Crane and
Monkey, etc). We learn so much from that as well. I've also done that with
scores of
combinations from the Long Form and discovered some wonderful methods inside.

The Animals are balanced in right side and left-side movements, so that helps
greatly in making sure we develop both sides of our body and brain. It also
supports
the natural flow of the Animals into self-defense techniques that spring out
easily.

The Animals give us almost unlimited numbers of movements to practice at very
slow, slow, medium, medium fast, fast, and ballistic speeds. I've also added
weights,
weapons and other resistance methods to add to the experience.

Have fun!

Mark

--- In hwayutaichi@yahoogroups.com, "dasisdad" <dasisdad@...> wrote:
>
> What are some different ways to practice the animals forms? I have been
> learning the forms from video because there is no one near me that
> teaches Hwa Yu. Also, if anyone knows any other videos that can be used
> to learn this amazing art form, I would appreciate it.
>
> Stephen
>

I practice them in like a hsing-i fashion.  Separating each technique
in the form and creating a walking form where I do each technique in a
linear fashion, also cover both left and right hands.

I also practice the animal forms that I do know in like a 4 directions
method, where no matter what direction Im facing, when I finish a set I
proceed in the opposite direction.  Covering north, south, east and
west.  That way I cover all directions and go through each form 4
times. try videotaichi.com


--- In hwayutaichi@yahoogroups.com, "dasisdad" <dasisdad@...> wrote:
>
> What are some different ways to practice the animals forms? I have
been
> learning the forms from video because there is no one near me that
> teaches Hwa Yu. Also, if anyone knows any other videos that can be
used
> to learn this amazing art form, I would appreciate it.
>
> Stephen
>

What are some different ways to practice the animals forms? I have been
learning the forms from video because there is no one near me that
teaches Hwa Yu. Also, if anyone knows any other videos that can be used
to learn this amazing art form, I would appreciate it.

Stephen

I began studying the concept of relaxation in Hwa Yu.  Sometimes I go
to the pool and do the long form a couple of times at full speed in
water up to mid shoulder length.  After looking a lil deeper into
relaxation and swimming I thought I'd try another experiment.  I
thought about floating.  The only way to float is to be totally
relaxed.  So, I would lay back in water and put myself in wu chi
postion and see how long I can float.  Now I wouldn't recommend this
for people who can't swim for obvious reasons, but this training is fun
and it allows me to notice things I hadn't before as far as a
connection.

I have to agree with Mark.  My foundation martial art is Hsing-I
Chuan.  When I came into Hwa-Yu the first things I noticed was my
flexibilty increased and my movements became more fluid.  Another
added bonus was that my overall power increased.  Hwa-yu has not only
made me a better MArtial Artist, but has also complemented my hsing-i
in a powerful way.  But not only has it made me a better fighter, it
has also made me a more compassionate person.  For those not familiar
with Hsing-i it is very aggressive and thats what drew my attention
to it.  But as I got older, I really don't want to hurt anyone.  In
Hwa-yu I learned compassion.  I learned how to make contact with
someone without hurting them, but getting their attention.  In
learning I noticed how instead of reacting in anger to  a lot of
situations, I now think before reacting.  I've been doing Hwa yu for
7 years now, and my physicals determine that my health is
outstanding.  To cite Chen Man Ching he noted when he began Tai Chi
it was only at his doctors command and after his health improved he
stopped because he really didn't like tai chi.  This cycle repeated a
few more times he declared he would just stick with his tai chi
practice because noticed he became healthy when he practiced and when
he stopped he became ill.  Every since I started practicing Hwa-Yu I
became healthier and my body just keeps better and better.  I am
thankful that God brought Hwa-yu into my life.

--- In hwayutaichi@yahoogroups.com, Mark McGee <mmcgee@...> wrote:
>
> Greetings! Hwa Yu training is an important part of my life. It
> restored strength to my joints, bones and muscles. Years of hard
style
> martial arts had damaged my knees, hips, elbows and shoulders. In
less
> than one year of Hwa Yu training the pain was gone and I was able
to
> continue teaching and practicing. Hwa Yu training has given me
> internal balance to the external training I'm enjoying now into my
> 60s. I am in better physical shape now than when I was in my 40s.
>
> Training in Hwa Yu also increases my energy level. I practice 4-6
> times a day because it meets the needs of my busy schedule at work
and
> classes. I start work early in the morning and often go until late
at
> night. My energy remains high because of Hwa Yu. It has also become
a
> wonderful way to calm my mind, body and breath from the many
negative
> stresses of life.
>
> Hwa Yu training continues to reveal the secrets of the Five Word
Song.
> Hwa Yu has deepened my understanding of the roots and purposes of
self-
> defense. The Long Form of Hwa Yu showed me the proper way to move
the
> whole body in defending against a myriad of attacks. Training in
Hwa
> Yu has also given me more to be able to share with students who
are
> looking for the best way to defend themselves.
>
> The bottom line to Hwa Yu training is that it works! As Master Li
> often said, "it is good for health and self-defense."
>
> Thanks for asking!
>
> Mark
>
>
> On Jun 7, 2008, at 2:19 PM, Glenn Newth wrote:
>
> > How has training in Hwa Yu changed or affected your dailly life?
Have
> > you found youself either doing things differently or viewing them
in a
> > different light?
> >
> > -Also I would like to announce that copies of "Hwa Yu tai chi
Chuan,
> > Unlocking the Mysteries of the Five Word Song" are now available
from
> > Mr. Mcgee, Master Xavier, or Myself.-
> >
> >
> >
>

How has training in Hwa Yu changed or affected your dailly life?  Have
you found youself either doing things differently or viewing them in a
different light?

-Also I would like to announce that copies of "Hwa Yu tai chi Chuan,
Unlocking the Mysteries of the Five Word Song" are now available from
Mr. Mcgee, Master Xavier, or Myself.-

I was thinking the same thing when I went to the local park on World
Tai Chi Day.  There was a kung fu school sponsoring the event and I
joined thinking no one has probably heard of hwa yu, but to my
surprise there were 18 tai chi teachers there and each one was
different.  I laughed in my mind seeing some many styles and
thinking, here I am thinking no one has heard of hwa yu, and here are
18 tai chi teachers and 13 of the tai chi styles I never heard of.
But the principles were there.  Its funny how tai chi has evolved.

--- In hwayutaichi@yahoogroups.com, "mark.mcgee4" <mmcgee@...> wrote:
>
> --- In hwayutaichi@yahoogroups.com, "santino112" <pirate112@> wrote:
> >
> > happy world tai chi day everyone!
> >
>
> Greetings! Were you able to participate this year? I work on
weekends, so haven't been able
> to go for several years.
>
> We always found it interesting at World T'ai Chi Day events how
many T'ai Chi people had
> never heard of Hwa Yu. Some had heard about Liu Ho Ba Fa and Water
Boxing. People who
> watched the Hwa Yu Form commented on the strength and beauty of the
movements.
>
> For everyone who participated this year or last, what was your
experience?
>
> Thanks!  Mark
>

--- In hwayutaichi@yahoogroups.com, "santino112" <pirate112@...> wrote:
>
> happy world tai chi day everyone!
>

Greetings! Were you able to participate this year? I work on weekends, so
haven't been able
to go for several years.

We always found it interesting at World T'ai Chi Day events how many T'ai Chi
people had
never heard of Hwa Yu. Some had heard about Liu Ho Ba Fa and Water Boxing.
People who
watched the Hwa Yu Form commented on the strength and beauty of the movements.

For everyone who participated this year or last, what was your experience?

Thanks!  Mark

I ran across this upcoming conference on Tai Chi and health scheduled
for December 2008.

http://www.taichi4healthconference.org/overview.html

Clarence

T'ai Chi is becoming one of the better researched and documented health-care
exercises
in the world. Those of us who practice T'ai Chi know the benefits well. It's
also nice to see
what we do supported by health researchers.

We're all familiar with wonderful past research done in the United States,
Canada, the
United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, China and many other countries around the
world.
Researchers have discovered that T'ai Chi is helpful to people with a wide
variety of health
problems, including: mental and emotional stress, hypertension, high blood
pressure,
rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, immune system deficiencies, cardiovascular
disease,
heart rate problems, chronic heart failure, sleep disorders, lack of strength
and endurance,
fibromyalgia, respiratory problems, depression, brain injury, balance problems,
coordination problems, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, lack of
flexibility, and bone
density issues. T'ai Chi is touted by many national health organizations
(Cancer, Heart,
Lung, Diabetes, Arthritis, etc) and governmental health agencies (NIH, WHO, CDC,
etc).

Current grants from organizations like the National Institute of Child Health &
Human
Development, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of
Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences,
and National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases are
continuing to
push forward our understanding of the amazing health benefits of T'ai Chi.

We can also thank recent university studies at schools like the Division for
Research and
Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies, Harvard Medical
School,
Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Sports Science and Physical Education,
Chinese
University of Hong Kong; D'Youville College, Buffalo, New York; Department of
Nursing,
Soonchunhyang University, Chon An, South Korea; Department of Physical Medicine
and
Rehabilitation, Charlotte Rehabilitation Hospital, North Carolina; and the
Department of
Physiological Nursing, School of Nursing, University of California San Francisco
for keeping
T'ai Chi research going forward around the world.

Grand Master John Chung Li said he  brought Hwa Yu T'ai Chi from China to the
United
States as a way of thanking the American people by sharing with them the
wonderful
health benefits of the exercise. He expanded that vision when he visited Europe
and
shared his knowledge there. We are continuing Master Li's vision with every
class we teach
or attend, and with every person we share the potential of T'ai Chi in their
lives.

I appreciate what you are doing to share the wonderful health-care message of
Hwa Yu
and wanted to say thank you. We'd love to hear from you about your current
experience
with T'ai Chi.

Thanks and have a wonderful week!

Mark

happy world tai chi day everyone!

Grandmaster Chan Yik-yan, Master John Li Chung and Master Lo Chi-wan
belong to the old-school, traditional teachers but also relaxed
certain traditional rules on what they can release
certain ''secrets'' of the art to their students.

I remember back in the 60s when Master Lo taught me the standing
exercises -- he told me not to reveal the stances to anyone. Though
I did not learn Wun Yuen he also taught me various short martial
exercises based on Wun Yuen, very similar to what some of you have
described as rowing.

When he revealed his knowledge of Wun Yuen to me, he said
Grandmaster Lee, his teacher, warned him not to reveal to his
(Grandmaster Lee's)friends that he knew martial arts.

But Master Lo, filled with desire to spread Wun Yuen, offered to
teach it to me, Connie and Master Li. And Master Lo has gone so far
as to allow Connie to throw Wun Yuen open through his website and
the opening of Wun Yuen schools in Australia along with LHBF.

Another non-traditional adaption among the three kungfu elders was
that Grandmaster Chan become one of his students. Master Ho Hoi-
ching had a Taoist temple in the New Territories in Hong Kong and he
passed on Taoist meditation and knowledge to Grandmaster Chan.

Master Lo also is the head of another Taoist sect and is very
particular about accepting students. He is very secretative when I
asked him about the Third Eye. He said he cannot reveal the exact
location but we still discuss various aspects of Taoism, mostly in
general terms.

Apparently, Master Li Chung learned Wun Yuen from Master Lo Chi-wan
before he left for Boston. Master Li also had a refresher course when
he returned to Hong Kong before his his death. Master Lo has letters
from Master Li seeking more information on Wun Yuen, including
sketches of directions of the movements.

I have videos of Grandmaster Connie doing the Wun Yuen and you guys
will have to wait until my next  trip to the Philippines when I will
get Ed Ramirez to somehow load it to the hwayutaichi website.

Master Lo wanted me to learn Wun Yuen and when he did the form I was
a bit skeptical because the arm movements were bigger than LHBF.
However Connie Coelho has adjusted into the smaller LHBF moves
(smaller but still with arms extended).

What Master Li said is correct -- you can practise LHBF in various
ways according to what you want to practise, eg concentrating on leg
movements, hip, arms or doing it with a high stance or low and wide
stance to emphasize the martial spirit of LHBF.

--- In hwayutaichi@yahoogroups.com, glenn newth <hwayu121@...> wrote:
>
> I can't answer the question of exactly how much Mr. Li knew of the
wun yuen system, but I can tell you what he taught.  Besides the
circle palm exercise he taught the standing method and another
exercise  that was like rowing but you estended the torso further
over the forward leg.
>   Glenn
>   Mark McGee <mmcgee@...> wrote:
>             Thank you for the web address, Peter! I knew you would
have the information.
>
>
>   Do you know how much Master Li knew about Wun Yuen? I learned a
small portion
>   of the exercise from Master Xavier, but didn't know how much
Master LI knew and how
>   much he passed along to his students.
>
>
>   Thanks and have a great week!
>
>
>   Mark
>
>
>   On Apr 2, 2008, at 7:49 AM, peter_hk_olaes wrote:
>             go to www.wunyuen.kungfu.net.au which is set up by
students of Master
> Connie Coelho (my LHBF brother) who was given the wun yuen
grandmaster
> title by our LHBF and Wun Yuen master Lo Chi-wan. All the
information
> is there.
>
> --- In hwayutaichi@yahoogroups.com, "santino112" <pirate112@> wrote:
> >
> > Does anyone here know the history of the One Yin Circle Palm
> technique?
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> You rock. That's why Blockbuster's offering you one month of
Blockbuster Total Access, No Cost.
>

I saw this clip and don't know if you know of this guy Mark, but he's
based in Miami. Maybe you could exchange knowledge. His form is
interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pmEysrXoWY

http://www.huangtaichi.com